The Village of Lake in the Hills has recently undergone a period of significant growth. Over a period of five years, building permits increased from 26 to 740. To address this issue, Village officials reviewed a number of different growth management ordinances adopted by municipalities as diverse as Crystal Lake, Illinois and Petaluma, California. Finally, we settled upon a three-part approach to address this issue:

A. We adopted a growth management ordinance. This ordinance applies to all new subdivisions, resubdivisions of existing subdivisions, new planned unit developments, revisions to existing planned unit developments, new annexations and any amendment to existing annexation agreements. It differentiates subdivisions and planned unit developments by house size as follows:

1. Subdivisions consisting exclusively of 2800 square foot houses or larger — no restrictions on build-out.
2. Subdivisions consisting exclusively of house sizes between 2100 to 2800 square feet — limited to 20% build-out per year.
3. Subdivisions consisting exclusively of house sizes below 2100 square feet — limited to 15% build-out per year.

The distinction determined by house size is based on the fact that larger homes have less diverse fiscal impact on local government. Further, the ordinance provides criteria by which the Board of Trustees may increase these build-out limitations if the reasons for the increase are set forth in writing and the increase is approved by two-thirds of the corporate authorities. Finally, it requires the building inspector to monitor and enforce these restrictions and annually report the build-out in each subdivision within the municipality to the corporate authorities.

B. Secondly, we adopted the following growth management policies:

1. The Village will encourage commercial and industrial growth, which affects the tax base in a positive manner. It will also encourage slower, controlled residential development unless the development standing by itself or if proposed in conjunction with commercial and/or industrial development can demonstrate that it provides a positive impact on the tax base of the Village and on all other local taxing districts affected by any future annexation.
2. The Village will control residential growth at a rate which will enable it and other affected local governmental units to provide and maintain the current level of services to new and existing residents.
3. The Village will maintain ordinances which will promote controlled and orderly growth.
4. The Village will maintain procedural requirements for development which
a) promote controlled and orderly growth,
b) provide due process to the applicant, and
c) serve to inform its residents of developmental proposals.
5. The Village will maintain and improve its collector and arterial roads to accommodate growth in the region.
6. The Village will promote open space and preservation of environmentally and historically sensitive areas in its growth plans.
7. The comprehensive plan provides a guide to development, both within the Village and outside the Village but within the Village's planning area. The Village will adhere to the comprehensive plan unless specific reasons require deviation from it.
8. The Village acknowledges that the problems of growth are regional and promises to seek intergovernmental cooperation among the various units of local government affected by growth.
9. The Village will request that units of local government regularly:
a) Conduct a "needs assessment" which considers the impact of new growth; and
b) Adopt a plan for acquisition of land and capital facilities to accommodate that growth.

C. Lastly, we adopted growth management procedures. One will note that the numbering of the

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growth management procedures correlates with the growth management policies and provides the procedures by which the growth management policies can be implemented. Those growth management policies that the Village Board adopted are:

1. The Plan Commission and Economic Development Committee will annually recommend, and the Board of Trustees will annually approve, a one-, three-, five-, and ten-year growth plan for the Village.
2. The building inspector will, each January, provide the Board of Trustees and all department heads a forecast of new housing in the Village for the next fiscal year. Department heads will thereafter, as part of the preparation of their annual proposed budgets, provide an analysis to the Board of Trustees as to how their departments will accommodate the anticipated residential growth and provide and maintain the current level of service to new and existing residents.
3. Annually, in July of each year:
a) The building inspector will review the building code; and
b) The Plan Commission will review the Subdivision Ordinance; and
c) The Zoning Board of Appeals will review the zoning ordinances; and
d) The Village Board of Trustees will review all fees, charges, donations and exactions required in the developmental process.

Upon receipt of the recommendations of the building inspector, Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals, respectively, the Board of Trustees will enact necessary changes in these ordinances, to further the growth management policies of the Village.

4. The Board of Trustees, Plan Commission, Economic Development Committee, Zoning Board of Appeals and Building Department will faithfully follow the procedural requirements of the Village's ordinances regarding the approval process for developments.
5. Staff and the Plan Commission will prepare a comprehensive traffic analysis and plan which will accommodate the growth projections.
6. Staff, the Plan Commission and Zoning

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Board of Appeals will recommend changes to Village ordinances to promote open space and preserve environmentally and historically sensitive areas.
7. When a proposed zoning or plan action by the Board of Trustees is determined to be inconsistent with the comprehensive plan for the Village, the Board of Trustees will take separate action to amend the comprehensive plan and address the impact of the change.
8. Staff and the Board of Trustees will initiate contact with all other units of local government affected by growth in the Village including the school, park, library and fire districts as well as the townships and county. Thereafter, regular growth forums will be instituted to foster intergovernmental cooperation and regional planning.
9. The Village will encourage affected school, park, library and fire districts to conduct needs assessments and adopt plans for acquisition of land and capital facilities needed to accommodate growth. Based upon the needs assessment, each district will be encouraged to provide the Village with an acquisition plan for park, school, library and fire lands and capital facilities including funding sources and tax impact on residents affected by the plan. The Village intends to request an updated needs assessment and plan for acquisition of land and capital facilities from the districts at least semi-annually.

While the growth of any community places an added burden on it, it also provides an opportunity and a challenge. We found that the adoption of a growth management ordinance and growth management policies and procedures were important steps in answering that challenge.

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